Search This Blog

SPEED PLAY

In order to run faster it
is necessary to…run faster. Elite athletes will tell you that they are able to
compete at the highest level only by training at or near maximal capacity.
Enter interval training, known alternatively as sprinting, repeats, or my
personal favorite, speed play (from the Swedish word “fartlek”). And indeed
studies have shown that speed play can benefit every type of athlete, from
recreational runners to committed fitness enthusiasts, and in a fraction of the
time required by training at a lower intensity. In fact, as shown by a recent
study, just fifteen minutes of intense
exercise three times a week provides a host of benefits over more casual
workouts, from lowering your blood pressure and blood sugar to reducing both
body fat and cholesterol. Speed play also increases VO2 max, which measures
your body’s maximal ability to take in and use oxygen. VO2 max is not only a
measure of fitness: it is also a predictor of lifespan, as research undertaken
at the Cooper Institute suggests. Sound like a panacea?
With these manifold benefits, speed play just might be.

THE TRACK

While puttering around
the elliptical chalk-lined polyurethane like a rat in a maze can rate high on
the tedium scale, the track brings distinctive advantages. These include a
level surface (uneven surfaces can simulate leg-length discrepancies and
irritate your iliotibial band) and measured distances, not to mention the
absence of cars and the unhealthful noise and exhaust they emit.

Finding a track is easy.
Most high schools, junior colleges, and colleges have fields open to the
public. Parks and recreational centers often offer dirt trails of
unconventional distances that bring a cornucopia of sights and sounds. Start with a 10-minute
warm-up by jogging around the track a couple times. Then do four sets of 2 laps
at 90 percent of maximum heart rate. At this level of intensity, you should be
gasping for breath and in no way able to carry on a conversation. If you’re a
numbers cruncher, simply subtract your age from 220 and multiply by .9. Follow
each sprint with three minutes of light jogging, then finish with a five-minute
cool-down.If training at unvarying
distances sounds too monotonous, try descending intervals, 800 meters, 400
meters, 200 meters, 100 meters. A study published in the Journal of Strength
and Conditioning Research found that descending intervals increase growth
hormone more than running at a fixed distance; this muscle mediator builds
strong quads needed for that finishing kick at the end of a race.

STAIRS

Climbing stairs is an
excellent way to build the large muscles of the lower extremities. This is
especially relevant for runners, who are susceptible to weakness in the gluteus
muscles. The so-called “dead-butt syndrome,” a result of logging too many miles
on flat terrain, can lead to pelvic tilts, gait instability, low back problems,
and shooting pains, Dr. Darrin Bright, a sports medicine physician and medical
director of the Columbus, Ohio marathon, recently told the New York Times. The
glutes play a centrol role in stabilizing the hips and the pelvis in running,
and climbing stairs recruits these big muscles. Stair-climbing also encourages
high knee lifts, which work wonders for form and keep at bay the marathon
shuffle that plagues runners late in a race. Moreover, the intense
concentration required by running up a set of stairs improves coordination and
is great training for trail runs and obstacle courses. Finally, there is the
aesthetic benefit of filling out the contours of an otherwise flat derriere.

Wonder whether you should
take the stairs one or two at a time? Both have benefits. A Penn State study
found that the “double-stair strategy” maximized metabolic cost and strengthened
ankle and knee flexors, while burningan
additional 70 to 90 calories per hour. On the other hand, rapidly skipping up
each stair targets the slow-twitch fibers of the calves, while a slower
lunge-like stride is a great quad and glute blaster. Doing the stairs backwards
is a novel approach that improves coordination and emphasizes the hamstring
muscles while gathering more than a few curious glances from fellow climbers.

HILLS

In the battle for best
overall exercise – one that targets both your upper and lower body effectively
and in a short amount of time - a convincing case could be made for hill
sprints, which some powerlifters regard as being better than squats! Hill
sprints combine the benefits of anaerobic exercise with aerobic fitness. They
encourage you to run on the balls of your feet with an erect spine, and the
increased cadence required by hill sprints and other forms of interval training
is an easy home remedy for fixing any gait problems that may otherwise go
undetected and lead to injury.

Sprinting up hills is
also safer than sprinting in the flats, since your speed is limited by the
incline, which spares your hamstrings excessive strain. They require the
aggressive arm and shoulder action critical for maximal acceleration. Finally,
hill sprints are a great way to dramatically increase the caloric expenditure
of an exercise that already burns a ton of calories when performed on flat
ground.

Run as fast as you can up
the hill and walk or jog back down. Do a total of four sets and work up to as
many as eight. Immediately afterwards your legs should feel like jelly, and the
next day you should be sore. In fact, muscle soreness is a great way to gauge the
effectiveness of hills and other sprint workouts. Soreness indicates muscle
damage and is a sign that your body is releasing cytokines to increase blood
flow to the area, and growth factors, which promote the development of new
muscle fibers, which means more muscle. But don’t undertake intense workouts on
consecutive days. Training sore muscles can tear newly-formed muscle fibers and
actually weaken your legs. Following sprint workouts it is best to train at a
much slower pace, but resist the temptation to take a rest day. Although
resting sore muscles will allow them to heal faster, exercising at low
intensity the day after intervals will encourage muscles to become more fibrous
and resistant to injury.

FARTLEKS

If driving to a remote
location to park and run is not for you, fartleks can be done anywhere,
including your very own neighborhood. And because they are less structured than
traditional sprint workouts, fartleks allow room for improvisation and
variation, which helps keep your workout feeling fresh while retaining the
benefits of high intensity training. You can casually introduce fartleks into a
regular run by picking a landmark (mailbox, driveway, tree) 100 to 500 feet
ahead and running to it at full speed, followed by a period of jogging that
lasts just as long. Repeat as many times as you can. If you’re training for
longer races choose longer distances, and incorporate fartleks into your
routine at least once a week.

Like other forms of
interval training, fartleks push your heart rate towards its maximum and
recruit fast-twitch muscle fibers, which are required for speed and anaerobic
fitness. This is especially important at the end of your next race when you
sprint to the finish – that is, if you like to race, and after playing with
speed, you just might. And if you’re a seasoned competitor new to high
intensity training, as little as four weeks of the above workouts is all that
separates you from your next PR, so start playing today.

Get link

Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Google+

Email

Other Apps

Labels

Comments

Speedwork works! I like doing intervals on the treadmill so I don't have to think about the pace, just try to keep up with the belt. Hillwork, fartleks, and stairs have to be in the regimen too. It's also a good idea to throw in some tempo stuff, like 2 x 5k at a given pace with a given rest interval in between.

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I was watching the TV show Naked and Afraid last night as I sometimes do. The show teams together two strangers, a man and a woman, who attempt to survive on their own for a period of 21 days in some remote and isolated region. Some of the locales featured include the Australian Outback, the Amazonian rainforest and the African Savanna. The man may have a military background, or be an adventurist or deep sea fisherman. Sometimes he's an ordinary dude who lives with mom. The woman is a park ranger or extreme fitness enthusiast or "just a mom" herself. Sometimes the couple quarrel, sometimes one or both "tap out" (quit) in a fit of anger or illness. It is satisfying to see them actually make it through the challenge and reach their extraction point. The victors are usually exhausted, emaciated, begrimed and bare ass naked.

Even more satisfying, at least for me, is the occasional ass shot, snuck in at strategic intervals to boost viewership, of course. It's co…

I hereby proclaim that June is meditation month. And July and August and some of September too. For me at least. During the hundred days that comprise summer, give or take, I have taken it upon myself to "assume the position" for approximately one hour each day, usually divided into two 30-minute sessions. During this time I sit in front of a candle flame, let my breathing subside, and with it my mental activity, and literally count the seconds.

The reductive tendency that is emblematic of science has penetrated schools of meditation, and there are many, each of which advertises its particular breed as, if not being the best, at least boasting novel or specific benefits not found in other forms of meditation.

For example, there is mindfulness, which is the monitoring of thoughts. There is concentration or focus, as on an object or the breath. There is transcendental meditation, which uses the inward repetition of a phrase, or mantra, to "allow your active mind to easily …

To be spontaneous or systematic, that's the question. Or SOS, as the Police sing. Within me these two opposing characteristics are ever at war. I suppose we're all born more of the former. What child is not up for a trip to the candy store on a whim? But our educational system drums in the systematic approach to problem solving. You must progress from number 1 to 10 on your test. Each class is 50 minutes long. Etc. And indeed having a schedule and being methodical can lead to greater material success. If you only do what you feel like you may never study math, or organize your closet. But enslaving yourself to a ritual can suck all the fun out of life. To reconcile the two approaches we've evolved the weekend, which is basically a short vacation from the rigid workday, a time to play in an unstructured way. The athlete has his rest days, a time away from play. The family has the trip to the Bahamas. There are semester breaks in school, though having an entire summer off is…